The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-28
NOT THE FIRST STEAM WAGON.
One of Names Sons Thinks He Can
Drive His Cart a Mile Minute

One of Names Sons Thinks He Can
Drive His Cart Mile q Minute
From the Lewiston Journal
s'The rich can ride III chaises,n and they
can ride in steam wagon, too, if they will
come to Lewiston and essay what the teem-
ing brain of remarkable Lewiston invent
or has attained. In the first place it is a
wagon. 1t is built on the principle of a gro
cery wagon Some of the extra heavy
grocery teams ON the street might have
served for the basis of the CONTINUANCE. ex-
cept the inventor, Edwin f. Field. desired
that it be extra strong, and so he had the
wheels and axles and cross-bars, etc, built
q trihe heavier than on the ordinary GRO
cery wagon. Its shape is the same. It's
wheels are the same in size and shane Tts
wagon body is exactly the same as that of
the ordinary delivery wagon, with iron
bands. The boiler, which is upright sits
on the rear axle. Power is applied bv
cogged wheels to the rear axle, to which the
hind wheels are rigidly affixed. so that the
movement Of the machinery propels the
wagon. The front wheels are independent
of machinery, and are simply steering gear
The engine is a double cylinder condensino
engine, controlled by the link notion
exactly as in the locomotive.
It can be reversed or stopped from the
drivers seat. water Is carried IN q small
tank under the wagon bed. The engine ex
hausts into the boiler--the exhaust being
easily controlled from the drivers seat
The boiler is ffve-horse power, tested to
400 pounds pressure, AID capable of carry
ing 800 pounds without the slightest diff
Guilty. The engines develop four-horse
power with 100 pounds pressure, or twelve
horse power with 500 pounds,
With hard coal, the boiler will make no
-, i
els is to conceal everything, and they Elk
pect, when finished, that the contrivance
will not be very odd in appearance, and that
it will not brighten horses any more than a
bicycle or street sprinkler Every portion
of the machinery is made with the view to
strength Various inventions on the boiler.
make it specially valuable, while every part
of the engine has been designed and built
expressly for the purpose, and is full of oddi-
ties and inventions, The axles are steel and
the wheels iron-hubbed. The hind wheels
are IS feet in diameter. The water tank
holds half barrel, and would suffice for a
run of twenty-five miles.
''Have you ever run it9" was asked of Mr..
Field. eyes" was the reply. eve have
worked the engines and the wheels, but
haven't tried it on the ground yet. Ii was
great success. The hind wheels went In a
perfect buzz. We estimated it at 800 revo-
buttons minute; and as the carriage will
advance about five feet a revolution, we
reckon that, making due allowance, the
wagon would have been going considerably
faster than two-minute clip. I don't par
ticularly see any limit to the attainment of
speed except the courage of the driver
Mr.. Field has about completed the ma
chine. A description does it no sort of
credit, and the public should see it to APP
preciate it. There is no sort of doubt but
that the machine will CO. and that it can be
steered and controlled. From the wayside
brook the water tank can be filed and
from the coal locker the fires of the boiler
Mr.. Field thinks that the machine can go a
mile a minute. He will have the hind
wheels drilled land corrugated for teeth,
provided there is not friction enough; but
he says that he has no fear about the fric-
ton.